Promise Adiele
Promise Adiele
It seems a new strand of neurosis is afflicting Nigeria’s political space mainly populated by the intelligentsia, those who adorn the toga of education and pretentious enlightenment like a medal. It confounds every iota of reason and logic that after the 2023 general elections and the emergence of winners at all levels, some Nigerians are fixated on Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last election. Shockingly, the press and some media spaces are awash with stories about Peter Obi as if he is the president of Nigeria.
According to INEC, Peter Obi came third in the presidential election. Presently, he does not occupy any political position. He is not holding any public office. He is not the president or vice president. He is not a governor or minister. He is not in a position to make official decisions that will affect the masses. Interestingly, political turn-coats, victims of unstable mental and psychological conditions, in the debasement of their degraded and violated personality, demonstrate morbid hate towards Peter Obi.
It indicates a prostrate dimension to our claims of sophistication and cognizance of modern, global political trends. Indeed, many Nigerians are simply overrated.
After the elections, Peter Obi has moved on with his life in a law-abiding, legitimate way but the emotional sanctuary of many people is in turmoil because of him. Unfortunately, and quite regrettably so, sections of the press, electronic and print, hitherto conceived as responsible, have joined the fray in the Peter Obi fever neglecting their responsibilities to hold the government at all levels accountable. Many issues beg for attention in the country. Nigerians should, after the elections, scrutinize the policies of the government at every level as they affect their lives. Nigerians should hold public officers accountable.
The press should educate the people and interrogate the government of the day. Unfortunately, they have collectively abdicated their responsibilities, focusing on Peter Obi, what he did as governor and what he did not do. Elections have come and gone, Bola Tinubu is the president as declared by the INEC. He made promises before the election. To what extent has he fulfilled those promises? Are there indications that he is leading Nigeria in the right part or to Golgotha for crucifixion? Nigerians should be concerned about these things and leave Peter Obi alone.
Currently, Nigeria’s inflation rate has hit an all-time high after Bola Tinubu’s less than one year in office. A study conducted last February showed that Tinubu’s government has recorded the highest rate of inflation after nine months in office since 1999. At Obasanjo’s inauguration, the inflation rate in Nigeria was 11.36%. Nine months later, it was -1.73%. At Yar’Adua’s inauguration, the inflation rate in Nigeria was 4.64%. Nine months later, it was 8.04%. At Jonathan’s inauguration, the inflation rate was 15.04%. Nine months later, it was 12.08%. At Buhari’s inauguration, the inflation rate was 9.00%. Nine months later, it was 11.38%. At Tinubu’s inauguration, the inflation rate was 22.41%. Nine months later it was 31.70%. This April, Nigeria’s inflation rate is 33.20% and according to Trading Economics, it will increase to 38.50% by the end of the current quarter.
The above indicators clearly show that Tinubu’s economic mathematics and policies are fundamentally flawed and therefore, demand critical appraisal by the public. The statistics correlate with the high cost of goods and services in the country. Yet, many Nigerians, the media especially, are struck by an inexplicable paralysis as they ignore these issues to chase Peter Obi. Critics of the Jonathan administration, those who made a coffin for the then president with RIP have all gone to sleep. Everyone is sniffing for information that would discredit Peter Obi as the country wallows in a crucible. As I write this essay, some former governors who almost liquidated the treasury of their states are on the run from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while some, the untouchables, are enjoying their loot in peace.
Yaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State is alleged to have stolen N80 billion of state funds. In addition, it is reported that he withdrew $720,000 from state coffers to pay his children’s school fees. There are reports that the school in Abuja has refunded $760,000 which the former governor paid in advance as school fees for his children. However, it negates common sense and equitable sense of justice that some lawyers who went to school and obtained degrees in law, are protesting that EFCC should not arrest Yaya Bello. I shudder that a group of lawyers would descend so low, seeking to protect the interest of an alleged criminal, someone who abused his office through larceny. That is where Nigerians are at the moment, to defend alleged criminals as long as it favours them or they stand to gain from the criminal largesse. The Nigerian Bar Association has said that the protesters are not genuine lawyers. Perhaps, they are like the fake bishops that endorsed a presidential candidate before the 2023 elections.
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the former governor of Kano State and current national chairman of APC is also alleged to have misappropriated public funds and taken bribes of $413,000 and N1.38 billion respectively. Former Kaduna State governor, El Rufai is alleged to have plundered the Kaduna State’s exchequer. The current governor Uba Sani has said that El Rufai left a debt of $587 million and N85 billion respectively. Why EFCC has not arrested El Rufai remains a mystery. The governor of Abia State Alex Otti has also said that he inherited a debt of N192.2 billion from his predecessor Okezie Ikpeazu. Yet, Ikpeazu is a free man today. According to reports by Daily Post in 2016, the former governor of Lagos State Akinwunmi Ambode declared that he inherited a debt of N432 billion from Babatunde Raji Fashola. Fashola went on to become a minister. EFCC never invited him to at least state what happened to the funds, public funds. Nigerians are not interested in these issues. Everyone is focused on Peter Obi, what food he ate, how many times he coughed in a day, when he slept and how he woke up.
The recent issue convulsing many people is Peter Obi’s failure or otherwise to build schools in Anambra State as a governor. Nothing could be more ridiculous. It has almost exploded media spaces with frenetic debates and arguments. It originated from a fellow I can swear by my muse, who suffers from acute epilepsy of the brain. Therefore, he manifests vacillating impulses which continually pollute the public, contaminating the intellectually feeble. This fellow, in his documented morbid attempt to disparage Peter Obi, comes across as someone who needs urgent psychiatric attention. Several videos and posts show this character eulogizing Peter Obi as the best thing to happen to Nigerian politics. The next minute, he says Peter Obi is the worst thing to happen to governance in Nigeria. There are also videos and posts where he called Bola Tinubu a drug lord and, therefore not fit to be president. The next minute, he says Tinubu is the best thing to happen to humanity. Such misguided, conniving, chameleonic characters abound everywhere. However, I am shocked at the way mainstream media give the demented fellow publicity – someone who talks from both sides of his mouth revealing his chaotic, scrabbled sensibilities.
Presently, the surest way to stardom and fame in Nigeria is to spew hate against Peter Obi. If any derelict character seeking social revival and rehabilitation insults Obi, the fellow is immediately celebrated by the media. That is the whole plan, to inaugurate a propaganda industry with functional machinery and continually lubricate it, then divert the attention of the people from governance so that the government will frolic in multiple obscenities unchallenged. Of course, Obi built many schools and educational institutions in Anambra State. However, his focus was refurbishing old ones and he did it responsibly giving the schools world-class status. When he became the governor, Anambra State occupied the 26th position in educational rating in Nigeria. By the time he left office, the state was the 1st in Nigeria. Building new structures by politicians when there are old ones to revamp is a way of syphoning public funds and Obi does not understand the language of fraud. Today, Anambra State is still enjoying the Peter Obi legacy in education. Governor Alex Otti has pledged to emulate the Peter Obi education blueprint and replicate the same in Abia State. Alex Otti is by far the best-performing governor in Nigeria now.
Are we genuinely ready in this country to enthrone an equitable and responsible governance culture that would reflect in the quality of lives of the common people? Are we ready to ask questions about the performance of our councillors, local government chairmen, commissioners, national assembly representatives, governors, ministers, and the presidency?
Have we inadvertently outsourced the future by compromising the present for political correctness? Have we become deluded and benumbed to ask questions about government policies as they affect us all? Should we not ask questions about the naira and why it continues to fluctuate? Is Tinubu secretly paying for fuel subsidy while the price of the product is still very high? If he is not paying for fuel subsidy, how much has the government saved from fuel subsidy since he scrapped fuel subsidy with a wave of the hand during his inauguration?
Should we not be worried that PZ Cusson is exiting Nigeria after 140 years? Should we not be concerned that our foreign reserve is almost empty, depleted consistently since the current government came to power? Should we all abandon our responsibilities as citizens and focus on Peter Obi, an ordinary citizen who is not holding any public office? Should excoriating Peter Obi be our trophy while the government of the day wallow in untold governance misadventure? We must wake from our slumber and confront the malignant tumours that ail us. Peter Obi is not Nigeria’s problem. Our problems go deeper and can easily be located within political and public service corridors, those who embezzle public funds with impunity consigning the populace to penurious outfields.
*Promise Adiele PhD
Mountain Top University
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